Coin control mechanism



July 24, 1956 D. LUTES com CONTROL MECHANISM 3 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Oct. 9, 1953 j jm 42525.

Rif/gaf @W July 24, 1956 D LUTES 2,755,928

COIN CONTROL MECHANISM Filed Oct. 9, 195.3

3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. M

July 24, 1956 D. LUTl-:s

COIN CONTROL MECHANISM 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Oct. 9. 1955 IN V EN TOR. M 16522 M Tg. 4.

United States Patent COIN CONTROL MECHANISM Donald Lutes, Pittsfield; Mass. Application October 9,.1953,"Se'rial No'. 385,142 3 Claims. ((l.=209`9) This invention relates to sortingapparatus and t is directed more particularly tofapparatns for sortingrelatively thin circular objects.

The principal features of the inventionaredirected to the provision of apparatuswhich'is Vadapted .for sorting circular discs, which may. be Vcoinsdiscs,.or the like, into groups according totheir dimensions and/.or value.

The novel apparatus oftheinvention ischaracterized by a swingable carrier which traverses anelongated arcuate slot which overlies a plurality of separate receiving pockets or compartments.

in a general way, the carrier is adapted to position relatively -flat discs. into=verticalzpositions andthe slot is arranged to ,have oppositesides which relatively converge from one end thereof to the other. The invention contemplates that the slot at ldifferentv points `therealong is such that discs of certain predetermined diameters may pass therethrough into certain receiving pockets.` Thus, as the carrier traversesl the slot, a disc of a certain diampocket for that of. disc.

The apparatus is adapted for various uses and.may, if desired,` be associated withother apparatus so as to receive objects to be sorted.

All of the above objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangements of parts thereof, as will fully appear by a perusal of the description below and by various specific features which will be hereinafter set forth.

To the above cited and other ends and with the foregoing and various other novel features and advantages and other objects of my invention as will become more readily apparent as the description proceeds, my invennovel features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more particularly pointed out in the claims hereunto annexed and more fully described and referred to in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. l is a plan view of apparatus embodying the novel features of the invention with the upper wall of the housing thereof removed;

Fig. 2 is a front elevational View of the apparatus of Fig. l with the front wall of the housing removed;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view on the line 3 3 of Fig. l;

Fig. 4 is a perspective View of adjacent pockets of the apparatus;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the members for holding pockets of the apparatus in adjacency; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective View of a modied form ol' pocket similar to that shown in Fig. 4.

Referring now to the drawings more in detail, the invention will be fully described.

A housing or cabinet is provided which has a rear wall 2, end walls 4, upper wall 6, bottom wall 8 and front as shown.

2 wall 10. The housing may be made in any desired shape.

An intermediate horizontal supporting plate 14 extends between ,theend walls` 8 and rests on rails 16 secured to said walls 8. Said plate may be moved in and out on said rails';

An arcuate trackway 18 is secured to the upper side of the plate 14 by any suitable. means such as screws 20.

An elongated arcuate slot 22 extends through the trackway 18 and plate .14 and, as shown, extendsthroughfan angle of 90 degrees or so.

Said slot 22 has its center on the pivot 24 for alever as will be described and lits opposite side edges. 26%.and 28 relatively diverge from one to thei other-end thereof, This is so that discs which`are vertically positioned may pass through the slot at different points therealong according to their diameter.

An arm 30 is pivoted at 24 to the plate. 14Aandis disposed below said plate. The outer free end 32of the arm extends upwardly through'the slot 22 `(see Fg. ,3), and'has an extremity 34 disposed above the track18.

A caster in the form of a ball 36 is rotatable in a boss 38"on the extremity 34 of the. arm for rollably supportingpthe end of the 4arm from the track 18.

A vertically extending ,tubular carrier 4i) is secured to arm portion 34 and a slot or opening 42 at the 'lower end thereof transverselyspans the slot 22.`

Said carrier will preferably be formed to positionv discs vertically so that lower edge portions thereof lrideI along the edges 26 'and 28 of the slot 22.

The arm may be swung so that the carrier traverses the slot by any suitable means.` For illustrative purposes, a motor 46 is secured .to a bracket 48 fixed to kwall 4 (see Fig. 2).'.

A crank 50 vsecured to shaft 52 of the-motor has one end of a 1in'k`54 pivoted theretofat 56. The other end of .said link 54 is pivotedat 5810 an extension60'of arm V30.'

The motor may be energized to bring about swinging of the arm in opposite directions so that the carrier is moved along the slot 22.

Discs in the carrier will pass through the slot 22 accordingly as the transverse width of the slot at certain points is slightly in excess of the diameter of a certain disc. Thus a disc or one certain diameter will pass through the slot at one certain point. Other discs of certain other diameters will pass through the slot at certain other points.

Pockets or receptacles are provided for receiving discs falling through the slot 22 and will be arranged so that there will be a pocket for each different sized disc.

Elongated vertically disposed and transversely spaced plates or outer and inner walls 70 and 72 are held in spaced relation by any suitable means such as the rod 74 secured thereto at opposite ends.

A plurality of pockets such as 78 are provided which are open at their upper sides, see Fig. 4. Rods such as 80 have a member 82 secured thereto so as to provide depending lips 84, see Fig. 5.

The plates 70 and 72 are provided with open slots 86 along upper edges thereof which are adapted to receive opposite ends of the rods 80.

The pockets 73 are disposed between the walls 70 and 72 so that adjacent side walls are in close adjacency. The ends of rods 80 are seated in the slots of the plates 70 and 72 and the lips 84 embrace adjacent walls of adjacent pockets. Thus the pockets are held in disc receiving adjacency.

Pocket arrangements other than described may be used such as the pocket in Fig. 6.

Said pocket 90 has an end wall 92,

an expansible end wall 94, and side walls 96. This pocket as with the pockets 78 will have an open side and a closed lower side.

A plate member 9S has side and end portions 100 and 102 inside a side wall 96 and the end wall 92 of the pocket which are secured thereto by any suitable means. The side wall 100 extends over and outwardly and then downwardly from the upper edge of a side wall of the pocket to provide a depending lip 104 spaced A slightly outwardly of the side wall of the pocket.

The lip 104 of one pocket is adapted to extend downwardly and over an adjacent wall of an adjacent pocket thereby to hold pockets in adjacency for receiving discs. The pockets may be formed from paper cardboard or 'the like while the plate members will be formed from relatively stiff material such as thin metal.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the essential characteristics thereof. Hence, the present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects merely as being illustrative and not as being restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all modifications and variations as fall Within the meaning and purview and range of equivalency of the appended claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What it is desired to claim and secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. Apparatus for sorting circular disc-like objects of different diameters comprising, a horizontal supporting plate provided with an elongated arcuate sorting slot therethrough having opposite side edges relatively con- 'verging from one end of the slot to the other end of side thereof disposed over the slot, said carrier and the discharging slot thereof being arranged whereby a disclike object is carried by said carrier in a vertical plane with the lower edge portion thereof resting on opposite edgesA of the slot of said plate whereby the object may pass through that portion of the slot having a Width greater than the diameter of the object, and receiving means for the object below said plate.

2. Apparatus for sorting circular disc-like objects set forth in claim 1 wherein said receiving means includes a line of a plurality of pockets having open upper ends and being held in disc-receiving adjacency.

3. Apparatus for sorting circular disc-like objects of diierent diameters comprising, a horizontal supporting plate provided with an elongated arcuate sorting slot therethrough having opposite side edges relatively converging frorn one to the other end of the slot for the passage of objects of dilerent diameters therethrough, an arm pivotally mounted at its inner end on said plate and having an outer end for traversing the slot as said arm is swung on its pivot, a carrier on the outer end of said arm above said plate for a disc-like object to be sorted and having a discharging slot in a lower side thereof over the slot in said plate, said carrier and slot thereof being arranged whereby a disc-like object is carried by said carrier in a vertical plane with a lower edge portion thereof resting on opposite edges of the slot of the plate whereby an object may pass through that portion of the slot having a width greater than the diameter of the object, and receiving means for objects below said plate including a plurality of separate and adjacent secured together pockets having upper open ends.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

